Your plan in four answers
Set for October 3, 2027, about 49 weeks out.
- Distances
- 17K
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Taper starts
- September 21, 2027
Course
The Murtenlauf course
The classic 17.17 km run goes point to point from the Hauptgasse in the old town of Murten (453 m) to the Place Georges-Python in Fribourg (615 m), on a route that recalls the Battle of Murten in 1476. It climbs a total of 388 m, passing Courgevaux, Courlevon (km 5), Courtepin (km 8) and Granges-Paccot (km 13.5), with supporters and music in La Sonnaz and on the Plateau d'Agy.
Read the full course notes
The finish is 162 m higher than the start, so the climbing outweighs the descending and the course is about strength as much as speed. Runners set off in blocks from 10:13 (elite) to about 11:04, and the course records stand at 50:28 for men and 57:50 for women. The same Sunday also features the 9.65 km Courtepin-Fribourg run and a 26 km trail, all finishing in Fribourg.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Distances
- 17K
- Weather on race day
- Early October around Fribourg is usually cool and often damp: around 6–10 °C in the morning, highs near 14 °C, humidity above 80% and rain on about 10 days of the month. Start in a throwaway layer, since the climbs warm you up quickly, and keep light gloves handy on a grey morning.
What to train for
With 388 m of climbing and a finish 162 m above the start, this race rewards hill strength as much as speed.
Run hilly long runs of 16 to 22 km on rolling roads, and once a week do 6 to 10 x 2 minutes uphill at 10K effort with an easy jog down.
Practise pacing by effort rather than by the watch: let the pace drop on the climbs and run smoothly over the tops. A weekly tempo run of 25 to 35 minutes builds the strength to keep pushing all the way into Fribourg.
Sample week
A sample Murtenlauf training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Hill repeats: 8 × 90 s up a steady grade, jog back down
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 8–10 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 11 km with 6 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–19 km on hilly ground, steady effort on the climbs
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Murtenlauf
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on October 3, 2027, your taper starts around September 21, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the Murtenlauf Morat-Fribourg (17K) on October 3, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Murtenlauf training questions
How long should I train for the Murtenlauf?
Most runners give a 17k twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Murtenlauf course hilly?
Hilly. The classic 17.17 km run goes point to point from the Hauptgasse in the old town of Murten (453 m) to the Place Georges-Python in Fribourg (615 m), on a route that recalls the Battle of Murten in 1476.
What is the weather usually like at the Murtenlauf?
Early October around Fribourg is usually cool and often damp: around 6–10 °C in the morning, highs near 14 °C, humidity above 80% and rain on about 10 days of the month. Start in a throwaway layer, since the climbs warm you up quickly, and keep light gloves handy on a grey morning.
When should I start tapering for the Murtenlauf?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on October 3, 2027, your taper starts around September 21, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Murtenlauf training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.